


vellichor

by byeolbit



Series: lives lived between written words [1]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Angst, Fantasy, Gen, Hakyeon centric - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 05:58:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16989348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byeolbit/pseuds/byeolbit
Summary: vellichorn. the strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time—filled with thousands of old books you’ll never have time to read, each of which is itself locked in its own era, bound and dated and papered over like an old room the author abandoned years ago, a hidden annex littered with thoughts left just as they were on the day they were capturedAlternatively, in which Hakyeon lives the many lives a reader does, in between the pages of books that lay forgotten in the old dusty bookstore.





	vellichor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hipster_queen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hipster_queen/gifts).



> Picked from [Dictionary Of Obscure Sorrows](http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/) compendium. The premise was based around my discussions with the lovely hipster_queen.

 

It’s the sight of books that draws Hakyeon in at first. He spots it from the corner of his eye and immediately wanders over. 

It’s a surprise really. The shop has a tattered fabric for an awning and the windows look like they haven’t been dusted in ages. The bronze nameplate reads ‘Eternity’ and hangs on the hinges, creaking in the strong breeze. It’s accompanied by the chime of a few bells left on the wind chime that hangs a few inches from the door.  

The ancient look feels like a side effect of Time’s personal vendetta against the promise of the namesake. The chiming and creaking have no rhythm and he isn’t even sure the store existed before.

But what bibliophile can resist the siren call of written literature? So Hakyeon, tests his luck by pushing the door. 

It gives way, and Hakyeon’s heart drops. 

 

-

 

That’s always the first sign of trouble, Hakyeon thinks in hindsight. But a good collection of books has always been able to seduce him. Will anyone ever believe him when he says that books pull him in literally? 

He has a rare power, Wonshik tells him. One that was activated when he walked into Eternity. That he was able to find the bookstore in itself shows that Hakyeon was born special. 

It’s a constant source of wonder to him. He can pick up a book. Any book and choose to travel into the world and live through its stories. 

It leads to hilarious situations. One time he picked up the novelization of the movie Jumanji and dropped into the middle of the jungle. He would have pulled himself out but there was a rhino chasing after him and Hakyeon decided to prioritize living. Tree climbing is an essential life skill, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Out of all the emotions he feels, embarrassment is the most common. Romance novels are a guilty pleasure but this also means living through the awkward chase and confessions and rejections till the main lead finally finds ‘The One’. It’s a blessing that people within the story don’t sense his presence because some times Hakyeon forgets himself and cheers so loud, it would put overly enthusiastic moms at their kids’ school shows to shame.

Then there is the angst. Oh the angst. Hakyeon cries along with the female lead when she thinks that she is inherently unlovable and that she will die alone. Or when the male lead has his heart broken when the love of his life leaves him and he feels that he has no future without them. When a long lost mother reunites with her now grown up son and they exchange tears and no words. 

Wonshik always laughs at him for how easily he cries. He isn’t as discreet as he thinks, that idiot. Hakyeon can tell that Wonshik is hiding a smile, while pretending not to look at him when returns from these other book universes. 

Hakyeon is always confused by how much Wonshik seems to know, but can never get an answer out of the man. What is Wonshik’s power? How does he always manage to show up whenever he returns from a story? Why is he always hanging around Eternity? Does he live there? Are there others like them? More people who have wandered into the bookstore and then left with their lives changed.

That’s just the charm of bookstores though. A story can change your life. There’s deeper philosophy there and better people can articulate it. But a good book is a special feeling and don’t start him or he won’t stop gushing.

 

-

 

“Happy birthday” Wonshik smiles at him the moment he walks in. The doorbell chimes and Hakyeon beams, immediately going to engulf Wonshik in a hug. Hakyeon gasps and Wonshik curses when he forgets what he was hiding behind his back. It’s a cake with candles on it that aren’t lit yet and Hakyeon coos.

“You got me a cake?” Hakyeon asks in surprise.

“Yeah. Too much?” Wonshik asks, running his hand through his hair. Hakyeon shakes his head, his smile probably a permanent fixture on his face and Wonshik blushes. 

“Let me light the candles” Wonshik says, fumbling around for matches that he swears he had kept somewhere around here. Hakyeon snaps a quick picture to remember the moment by and then helps the poor kid by picking up the box kept next to cake itself and waving it in his face. 

Wonshik cries dramatically in frustration and Hakyeon laughs. wonshik sings him an off tune birthday song, the kind he hasn’t heard before but he gets the sentiment. 

“Are you going a trip today too?” Wonshik asks. 

Hakyeon nods.  “I’ve saved up my favourite book for today” he tells him.

“The bookstore is yours” Wonshik says, gesturing to the empty establishment.

“You know… maybe…” Hakyeon hesitates. Wonshik raises an eyebrow. “Maybe a little later? I was kind of thinking we could hang out together for a while. We never do…”

He falters at Wonshik’s surprised face. “…. and it is a stupid idea. Never mind. I’ll just go” he says, looking at his feet and planning to scurry off to romance section.

“It wouldn’t… It’s not stupid. I’d like that” Wonshik says. Hakyeon nods, looking anywhere but at the man. 

His heart simultaneously stops and speeds up and the arrhythmia lasts forever.

 

-

 

“Hot chocolate?” Wonshik asks holding up a cup. Hakyeon can almost cry in happiness. Well cry again that is.

“Why do you pick up stories that always make you cry?” Wonshik asks, shaking his head at Hakyeon. 

“Shut up. It has a happy ending” Hakyeon pouts. 

“This must be the fifth time you’ve chosen the same book” Wonshik says, putting his jacket around Hakyeon. Hakyeon is extremely grateful and he hopes it is conveyed by his gestures because words are difficult when he is disoriented from the after effects. 

“And yet you cry every time. You are a sap” Wonshik says fondly. 

“If you love something, wouldn’t you be partial to it?” Hakyeon asks him. Wonshik smiles to himself. He has that far away look in his eye and Hakyeon can tell he is remembering a loved one. His shoulders droop. He knows an answer won’t come. Wonshik was an enigmatic soul.

“I would never leave their side” Wonshik admits, surprising Hakyeon.

“Then how are you here?” Hakyeon asks. He immediately puts his hand on his mouth, knowing it is an extremely personal question to ask.

“Staying here… is a way of staying close to the person I love” Wonshik tells him.

“They are lucky to have you” Hakyeon says wistfully. Wonshik nods. He pulls up two bean bags from the neighbouring aisle for them to sit on.

“Why don’t you tell me about the book?” Wonshik asks, changing the topic. Hakyeon launches into a detailed explanation of the story and the characters and why the boy’s mom is his favourite and Wonshik listens with his head on his hands and all his attention to him.

 

-

 

“I… What’s happening?” Hakyeon asks in shock. He picks up a book but nothing happens. He picks up another. A third, a fourth…

He is in the middle of a panic attack when Wonshik comes down to the ground floor from the first. He immediately rushes to Hakyeon who drops to his knees.

“Hakyeon… Hakyeon…. Yeonnie look at me” Wonshik says, caressing his face.

“It’s gone” Hakyeon says blankly. there is a ringing noise in his ears and his vision is out of focus and he instinctively knows. 

“What?” Wonshik asks. Hakyeon looks at him. He should be feeling the worry but instead he feels… empty.

“I don’t have my power anymore” Hakyeon stays, too numb to process it. The heartbreak will come later. then the questions, the anger, the denial and attempts to revive it.

Wonshik engulfs him in a hug and he stares. He doesn’t know what he is looking at. All of it. None of it. The books mock him. Pages that remain cold and unmoving. 

“It will be okay” Wonshik assures him, rubbing circles on his back. To Hakyeon, it feels like nothing ever will be.

“I don’t understand… I didn’t do anything wrong” Hakyeon says in a small voice. 

“Did you… did you do something to a book? Or… try to write one of your own?” Wonshik asked. Hakyeon looks at Wonshik in surprise. Wonshik always knows he reminds himself.

“Only a paragraph. I didn’t even read or edit it” Hakyeon confesses. 

“The power has a limit. You can’t be sucked into your own story. That would be dangerous” Wonshik tells him.

“That’s cruel. You can’t take this away from me. You can’t” Hakyeon insists. “Those books were my life. They were my everything. I just wanted to share everything I felt with others.”

“I know” Wonshik says, wiping away the tears from his eyes. When had he started crying? Hakyeon doesn’t know.

“But that’s the thing about stories Hakyeon. They must eventually end. But you can still live them again” Wonshik tells him with a rueful smile.

“I can’t. You just told me that I can’t use my power anymore. Just reading won’t ever be the same” Hakyeon cries.

“Your power isn’t gone forever. The first time you walked into Eternity and picked up a book wasn’t your first time” Wonshik confesses.

“What are you saying?” Hakyeon asks. He already knows what Wonshik is implying. But he needs to hear him say it.

“You’re living a story and you can choose to go back and live it again” Wonshik says. 

“You’re lying” Hakyeon shoots back. Wonshik pulls away.

“What do you remember of your life before you walked into this store?” Wonshik asks him. Hakyeon starts but closes his mouth. The answer is on the tip of his tongue and then isn’t.

“What do you remember of your life outside of this store?” Wonshik asks him. He smiles at Hakyeon who is connecting the dots and all emotions show on his face. 

“It’s a beautiful fantasy isn’t it?” Wonshik asks, leaning against the shelf.

“But if I go back… I’ll have to do it all over again. I’ll lose everything I’ve had here” Hakyeon says, standing up. 

“And you’ll find it again” Wonshik says. 

“But I will lose you” Hakyeon said. He looks at Wonshik, unsure of hos his confession will be handled. Wonshik just smiles at him and Hakyeon looks to his feet. Wonshik won’t answer him this time.

 

-

 

When Hakyeon wakes, he never touches a book again.

 

 

_-The-End-_

**Author's Note:**

> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/poojamk15?s=09) | [Tumblr](https://vixxscifiwritings.tumblr.com)


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